


Beneath A Midnight Moon

by IceBlueRose



Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), American Idol RPF, Kris Allen (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-05
Updated: 2011-08-05
Packaged: 2017-10-22 06:05:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/234683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IceBlueRose/pseuds/IceBlueRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vampires had started hunting werewolves centuries ago, determined to find out if the myth that the blood of a born werewolf would allow them to walk in the sun. Out of the first werewolves that had been taken, only one had managed to escape, making it back to the pack to tell them what had happened. The werewolves had retaliated by ripping the vampires responsible to pieces and that had been the start of the war.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

>   
>  The art can be found here: http://freeze-a-moment.livejournal.com/8615.html

  
[   
](http://s128.photobucket.com/albums/p176/Faith_Mars/BigBang/2011/Kradam/?action=view&current=Kradam1_3.jpg)   


Vampires had started hunting werewolves centuries ago, determined to find out if the myth that the blood of a born werewolf would allow them to walk in the sun. Out of the first werewolves that had been taken, only one had managed to escape, making it back to the pack to tell them what had happened. The werewolves had retaliated by ripping the vampires responsible to pieces and that had been the start of the war.

The thing that seemed to anger the vampires the most was the fact that even when they managed to take one of the werewolves, the werewolves never talked. No matter what the vampires did, the werewolf they had would never tell whether or not they were a born werewolf. They wouldn’t confirm whether the myth was true or not. And even more importantly, they shifted and did everything in their power to escape before the vampires could take their blood, knowing that rather than bite them while they were in wolf form, the vampires would try to make it impossible for them to run.

Which was why Kris Allen was running as fast as he could, desperately trying to ignore the pain shooting through his leg. Running with two bullets in him could end up seriously damaging him but, at this point, he just didn’t care. If he ended up with a permanent limp, it’d be worth it as long as he wasn’t taken by the vampires coming after him.

He glanced back and felt a flash of relief that he’d lost them. Rather than slow down though, he kept going until his leg twisted under him. Kris gasped as he collapsed, wincing when he heard a twig snap beneath him. He couldn’t stop the whimper from escaping as he fell.

The distinct scent of a vampire had his head snapping up and if he hadn’t been in his wolf form, Kris would’ve sworn at the sight of the vampire standing above him. He tried to push himself up only to collapse once more when his leg gave out, a definite sign that he’d run for too long.

Kris watched the vampire’s hands, noticing the various rings that he was wearing as he reached towards the small of his back. From experience, Kris knew that that would be where the vampire’s gun would be kept.

Well, if he was going to be killed, he wasn’t going to just lie there and stare at the gun. Instead, he lifted his gaze to meet the vampire’s and waited, remembering something Tommy had told him years ago.

 _“If there’s no way out and you know it, go down with fucking dignity. Make sure you look them in the eye.”_

Those words were still ringing in his head as he stared at the vampire. After a few moments, the vampire pulled his hand away from his back as empty as it had been when he’d walked over. There was a look of confusion and resignation on his face that Kris didn’t understand until,

“Fuck me, I can’t believe I’m doing this,” the vampire whispered. He took a step forward and Kris tensed, a low growl escaping. Kris really didn’t care if he could barely stand, if this vampire tried to take him so he could be tortured, Kris was going to put up a fight. “I’m not taking you to them.” The vampire glanced down at Kris’s leg. “I’m getting you out of here. And maybe you don’t want to trust me and that’s fine, I don’t really care about that since I don’t actually have a good reason for doing what I’m about to do. I’m taking you with me, someplace safe, until you’re healed and then you can go back to your pack, no strings attached. You can take me up on that or I can leave you here so you can wait until the others get here and they can take you to finish what they started.” Off of Kris’s look as he tilted his head, the vampire continued, “I can smell them on you.”

It was surprising to realize that the vampire had understood his silent question but that wasn’t the most important issue right now. Kris considered the vampire’s offer, studying him to see if there was any sign that this was a trick. He’d been told that he had an uncanny ability to know when someone was lying to him and, maybe it was the pain from the silver bullets in his side, but Kris couldn’t find a single thing that said the vampire was lying to him.

Decision made, Kris lowered his head in acknowledgement and hoped the vampire would understand the gesture as easily as he had the question from before.

Luck, it seemed, was on Kris’ side for once and the vampire nodded in response before moving closer and crouching down next to him, carefully sliding his arms beneath Kris. The vampire gave him a look that told him this was probably going to hurt and then he swiftly stood up and began to move quickly, running towards the trees that lined the park.

If Kris could have done something other than clamp his jaw shut to keep any sound from escaping, he’d have been giving the vampire a look questioning what the hell he was doing.

The answer became clear when the vampire stopped and set him down again before digging through the messenger bag that Kris hadn’t noticed until now and pulling out a bottle of water.

“It’s a quick fix but it should clean off some of the blood until we get to my place,” he told Kris quietly. “When they can’t smell your blood, they’ll have a harder time tracking you.”

Kris had to appreciate the fact that the vampire didn’t lie and say that it’d be impossible to track him since they both knew that there was never a way to make it impossible to track someone. Even using another scent to mask your own scent didn’t always work because there was always that chance that you had missed something.

It was impossible to stop the small huff of air that passed for laughter in this form from escaping when the vampire poured water in the dirt near them and began to use one hand to turn the dirt into mud. The vampire shot him a glare and then took a bit of mud and packed it over the bullet wounds to stop the bleeding.

“There.” Even as he nodded, he poured the rest of the water over his hand, rinsing the mud off of it before he wiped it dry on his jeans, making another face as he did so. Once he had finished, he picked Kris back up and once again began to move, this time turning and heading towards the west, muttering something about how he couldn’t believe he was ruining his favorite jeans and jacket.

Kris rolled his eyes and tucked his head down. He actually felt the vampire look down before he focused back on the path in front of him.

He really wished he knew the vampire’s name. It was getting old thinking of him as ‘the vampire’ the whole time.

This time there was no mindreading—something Kris was extremely happy was just a myth when it came to vampires because having someone that’s trying to kill you be capable of reading your mind was a disturbing thought—and the vampire stayed quiet for the next couple of miles until he came to a stop in front of a brick building.

“Exspectata quod servo meus hospes,” he whispered softly. There was a noticeable shift in the air and then he moved forward, passing through an invisible barrier and entering the building. He glanced behind him, checking to see if anyone else was there before he nodded to himself and began climbing the stairs. “If it wouldn’t leave us cornered, I’d take the elevator.”

It was the only thing that was said until they reached the fourth floor and the vampire headed straight for an apartment that was towards the middle of the hallway. It wasn’t until they were inside and the door was locked that the vampire relaxed, letting his guard down slightly. Kris noted that he didn’t fully relax until he’d managed to somehow grab a few towels with one hand and haphazardly spread them on top of his kitchen table and put Kris down.

“Okay, I’m going to change and get a few things so I can get you cleaned up,” he told Kris, already heading out of the kitchen. He was back less than fifteen minutes later, sliding into a seat near Kris. It was silent as the vampire stared at Kris for a bit and then finally turned and met Kris’s eyes. “I’m Adam,” he said softly. “Adam Lambert. I figure if I’m going to be digging bullets out of you, you should know my name.” Adam smiled slightly and Kris huffed again.

Adam stood and laid out tools that Kris was very familiar with since he’d used them before on members of his own pack that had been shot and had managed to escape. Next to those, he set a glass that he partially filled with alcohol so that he’d have a place to put the bullets once he’d gotten them out.

“Are you going to be willing to talk once I get the bullets out of you?” Adam asked as he began to sterilize everything.

Kris hesitated. It was obvious that Adam knew that while the bullets remained in him, the silver would prevent him from shifting. But was he willing to talk to a vampire, even if it was a vampire that had saved his life?

He closed his eyes as he thought of what his mother would say in this situation (he didn’t care what Cale said, that didn’t make him lame, it made him smart since his momma kicked ass) and let out another breath, this one closer to a sigh, before he opened his eyes and nodded. Adam smiled and Kris looked away quickly. Adam’s touch was easy as he quickly and carefully used a small towel to wash the mud off of him before setting it aside. Kris’s breath hitched as he felt cool metal sliding into the first bullet hole.

His eyes slammed shut and he focused on keeping his breath even and pushed the pain to the back of his mind, going over the lyrics to every Beatles song that he could think of. Despite the distraction, Kris couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped. He felt Adam pause and stroke a hand over his side before he continued. The soft plop of a bullet dropping into alcohol had Kris blinking in relief.

“One to go,” Adam muttered, moving further up and beginning to probe the second bullet hole. Kris tensed and then forced himself to relax to make it easier for Adam to get to the second bullet. This time, he tried to think of every song that he could think of that had to do with eyes. He had no idea what made him decide on that topic but it seemed to be working since it felt like it took no time at all before he was hearing the second bullet drop into the alcohol. He let out a sigh of relief and relaxed completely against the table. Now that the bullets were gone, Kris could feel the exhaustion beginning to take over even as Adam worked at making sure the wounds were cleaned.

“I have no idea if you’re going to change back now or not but I just need to check if you’re going to have clothes when you do.” Off of Kris’s look (clothes, really?), Adam raised an eyebrow. “What? I don’t know how this works. So, will you have clothes?”

Kris shook his head. He’d had to strip down quickly and hide his clothes earlier just before he shifted.

“Right. Then I’ll get something to cover you until I know how tall you are. Should I bandage these?”

Again, Kris shook his head. Adam stared at him and then nodded, disappearing for a few minutes and then coming back with a blanket that he draped over Kris’s lower half.

“That’ll work until we can get you clothes.” He paused and looked around as if he wanted to avoid getting any friendlier than he already had. (Though, personally, Kris didn’t know how much friendlier a vampire who was supposed to either capture or kill werewolves could get. Bringing him to his home and taking out the bullets and letting him rest to heal up was already pretty friendly but whatever.)

He watched as Adam left the room and began to study the kitchen, taking in the black and stainless steel appliances, the way that the pictures on the wall and the small things like the towels and rugs all matched the appliances and tied together. Somehow, he had a feeling that more thought went into how the room would look rather than into what kind of food would be made in it. It only made sense, since he knew that vampires only really ate if they felt like it.

It didn’t take long for Kris to fall asleep as he continued to consider this.

~*~*~

He didn’t know how long he slept but the moment that Kris opened his eyes, he knew that he had shifted back while sleeping. He grimaced when he rolled on to his back, the movement pulling at his wounds.

He really hoped that he didn’t start bleeding again. That was the last thing he needed.

Adam may have helped him but he was still a vampire. There was always a chance that the temptation to go for Kris’s blood so that it could be tested would prove to be too much. He blew out a breath and ran a hand over his face. He was going to need to borrow some clothes even though they’d be too big for him and he’d have to see if he could borrow Adam’s phone long enough to get a message to Tommy or Allison so that they’d know he was okay, otherwise he was sure that they’d start trying to find him and he wasn’t about to have any member of his pack come here without knowing more.

“You’re awake.”

Kris jumped, startled, and jerked his head in the direction of Adam’s voice. He nodded. “Yeah,” he said, wincing at the sound of his voice. He sounded hoarse, as if he’d been screaming, and he knew it was a direct result of having been in his wolf form for hours. The lack of using his voice combined with the effects of silver was never a good thing.

Adam studied him, his eyes moving down slowly enough that Kris had to fight not to fidget. Instead, he kept his gaze steady and stared right back at Adam. Eventually, Adam’s lips twitched and he tilted his head towards the sink. “I’ll get you some water,” was all he said. Kris followed Adam’s movements, slowly pushing himself into a sitting position, unable to shake the feeling that something could change or go wrong at any second. Adam simply raised his eyebrow, an expression that Kris was already becoming familiar with, and held out the glass.

Kris nodded in thanks, downing half of the water in a few swallows. “Thanks,” he said, his voice already sounding better. He took another sip as Adam took a few steps back, giving him space.

“You’re welcome.” Adam leaned back against the counter. “Are you going to stop looking at me like I’m going to attack you at any moment now?”

“Probably not,” Kris admitted, figuring it was only fair to tell the truth.

A strange mix of annoyance and understanding flashed over Adam’s face and he nodded slowly. “Okay. How are you feeling?”

“Like I was shot twice.” Kris blew out a breath. “Sorry.”

This time, Adam grinned. “Yeah, well, I’m never in a very good mood after I get shot either.” He turned and opened the fridge, staring at the contents. “Are you hungry? I’m a horrible cook most of the time but I can make one hell of an omelet.”

Kris stared at him, frowning slightly. “Why are you doing this? Why not just give me some clothes and kick me out so you don’t have to deal with me?”

At first, Adam didn’t move, continuing to stare inside the fridge. Finally, he pulled back and turned to look at Kris. “Like I said last night, I don’t know. I really don’t know what the hell I’m doing here. It would have been much easier to leave you there and pretend I hadn’t seen you. Instead, you’re naked on my table and I’m offering breakfast so that I don’t have to think about the fact that there’s a good chance you might be tracked here.” He sighed. “You’re safe inside. I’m not a hunter even though I carry a gun. I just think it’s better to have it in case I end up getting attacked or something.”

“I’m safe inside,” Kris repeated. “From you or in general?”

“Both.” Adam didn’t even look offended at the question. “Like I said, I’m not a hunter. And frankly, I look good with pale skin, okay, so I’m not going to get obsessed about whether or not I can go outside. Besides, I offered you my protection last night,” he explained, turning back to the fridge. After a bit of digging around, he began to take out what he’d need for an omelet.

Kris frowned. He should probably just hold off on continuing to question what was going on but he couldn’t. He had to be sure before he even thought of relaxing or letting his guard down. “Yeah, by bringing me here.”

“Not just that,” Adam shook his head as he pulled out a pan, “I mean, I literally offered you my protection. I don’t know if you remember but when we got here, I stopped outside.”

Kris nodded. “I...” His frown deepened. “You said something before we came in.”

Adam nodded. “I asked for you to be welcomed and protected here as my guest. My request was granted.”

“I don’t—“ Kris shook his head and stared down at the glass in his hands, not wanting to admit that he didn’t understand.

“It’s okay,” Adam said simply as he began heating up the pan and making sure he had everything he needed. “Are you allergic to any foods? Or do you hate any of them with a passion?”

The subject change didn’t go unnoticed but Kris wasn’t going to mention it. After all, he wasn’t going to spill all of his secrets to Adam so he couldn’t expect for Adam to tell him everything either. Instead, he went with the change and shook his head. “No, I’m not allergic to anything.”

Adam nodded and began to make breakfast for Kris. As he began to beat a few eggs together, he glanced over at Kris and swore. “Shit, I forgot to get you clothes.” He pushed the food away and motioned for Kris to follow him. “Come on, I think I might have something that you can wear.”

Kris nodded, wrapping the blanket around himself so that he wasn’t giving off a free show and hopped off the table, mentally swearing at the pain that shot through his leg when he did, and followed Adam to the back of his apartment and into a bedroom. He assumed that it wasn’t the master—for one thing, it wasn’t big enough and it was also missing a bathroom—and sat on the bed, watching while Adam searched for something that might fit him.

“Found them,” he said. “You’re about Brad’s height and he left these here the last time he wanted a movie night. Something about how he didn’t need sparkles to relax.”

Kris had no idea what that meant so he just smiled, taking the loose looking black pajama bottoms. As soon as Adam had turned back to the dresser, Kris dropped the blanket and stepped in to the pants. Adam tossed a shirt over his shoulder and turned just as Kris pulled it over his head.

“Thanks,” Kris told him, noting that the shirt was definitely too big for him. Adam nodded and neither of them said anything, looking like they weren’t sure what to say now to fill the silence that was rapidly becoming awkward.

After all, what do you say to someone that you’re supposed to hate on sight?

“I’ll finish making breakfast,” Adam finally announced, already heading back to the kitchen. Kris stayed where he was for a few minutes, taking a few deep breaths. It hurt like hell to walk around, hell, it hurt to stand but he needed just a few minutes to himself and if he sat on the bed, he’d probably end up lying down and falling back to sleep.

After a few deep breaths, he slowly made his way back to the kitchen. He didn’t bother announcing his presence; he knew that Adam had known the moment he appeared in the doorway.

“Can I use your phone? I need to make sure they know I’m okay.”

Adam looked over at him and nodded at a cordless phone sitting on a small stand near the window. “Yeah.”

Kris knew that if he had known more about where they were staying, Adam probably would have hesitated more in letting him use the phone but he was going to take what he could get for now.

“Thanks.” He didn’t wait for an answer before he was picking up the phone and dialing a number that he’d known by heart since the day Tommy had gotten it. He waited, smiling slightly as he imagined what Tommy’s reaction would be when he saw the code that he was about to type in to be sent to Tommy’s pager. They each had one in case they didn’t have their cell phones and only had access to a landline. Rather than a text, they had codes for every situation they could think of.

Of course, they’d never thought of this situation before.

Instead, Kris typed in the code that meant he was safe and laying low but didn’t have any of his stuff. He quickly added the coordinates for the spot where he’d left his things so that someone would be able to get them. He knew that the message would get passed on to his family and the rest of the pack so that they wouldn’t freak out and try to find him.

When he looked up, he noticed Adam watching him, the curiosity clear on his face. Kris simply shrugged and put the phone back. He wasn’t going to explain their system. Adam didn’t need to know about the codes and he didn’t need to know that they had hiding spots all over the city for their clothes for situations just like the one he’d ended up in last night.

He almost thought Adam was going to push but instead, Adam nodded and slid the omelet he’d just finished on a plate and set it on the table with a fork.

“You want anything to drink?” Adam asked as he pulled a coffee mug down. Kris tilted his head in confusion when Adam opened the fridge instead of getting out coffee grounds and then blinked in realization when he saw the bag that Adam put next to the mug.

“Water is fine.” Kris nodded at the still partially full glass he’d left on the table. He looked down at his plate as he listened to Adam rip open the bag, causing the scent of blood to fill the air as he poured it into the coffee mug. Once that was done, Kris looked up and then couldn’t help the way his lips twitched when Adam began to heat it up in the microwave.

“What?” Adam asked. “You thought I’d have a person chained in my bedroom or something?”

“Basement, actually.” Kris smiled as Adam snorted, turning to try and stop Kris from seeing the smile on his face.

“Only on Sundays.”

Kris laughed and turned to his breakfast, unsure on if Adam would want to continue talking while he drank. Rather than ask, he began to eat. “Thank you again for breakfast. The omelet’s great.”

“I’m glad you like it since it’s pretty much the only thing I can make.” Adam smirked slightly as he slid in the chair across from Kris and took another drink. “I won’t get offended if you look.”

Kris shook his head, fighting another smile. He wasn’t sure what it was about Adam but half the time, he just couldn’t seem to resist smiling. “Well, you never know when it comes to someone’s eating habits.”

Adam inclined his head. “True.” As they continued to eat, Adam looked at Kris, his expression becoming serious. “You can stay here as long as you need to. I know you probably heal faster than a regular person usually but I don’t know how fast you heal from silver and from what I saw, I missed at least a couple places where they got you with a knife.”

“Yeah,” Kris acknowledged. “I hadn’t managed to shift yet. That group had at least one knife thrower with them. Took them out and I kept running.” He didn’t mention that the knives had been silver as well so cleaning them was only going to do a little to start the healing process.

“We can clean them after you’re done.”

Kris nodded. “Probably should’ve done that before I put on your shirt.”

This time, Adam laughed. “Well, I never really do anything in the order that I should.” He glanced over and Kris could practically hear the question. Before Adam could say anything, Kris decided to ask a question of his own.

“Are you sure that I can stay here?”

Adam stared at him and Kris wondered what it was that he was looking for. Whatever it was, Adam must have found it because rather than change his mind, he nodded. “I’m sure.” He didn’t wait for a response, simply turned back to the mug he held in his hands and continued to drink.

Kris watched him for a few moments before he nodded and turned back to his breakfast, finally allowing himself to wonder just how this was going to work. “My name’s Kris,” he said, realizing that he still hadn’t told Adam who he was. “Kris Allen.” He snuck a glance up to see Adam smiling slightly, nodding in acknowledgement.

It didn’t take long before they were both done with breakfast and Kris fought back a sigh as things began to get awkward again. He pushed himself to his feet and then froze, a hiss of pain escaping as his leg started to buckle. “Fuck,” he breathed. If he’d been home, that would have been a sure sign of how badly he was hurting since he never swore like that unless he couldn’t think of any other way to get his point across.

“Leave the dishes,” Adam ordered. “We’re taking care of the stab wounds.”

Rather than argue, Kris nodded though he knew that a big part of what was wrong with him was the bullet wounds and the fact that he kept pushing himself to walk. There was also the fact that whenever a werewolf was shot or stabbed with silver, taking out the bullet or knife only partially helped. The silver still left a residue in their blood and the only way to start the healing from that was rest. Once the residue was gone, then they could start healing all their other injuries.

It was a pain in the ass and something that they’d all fought to keep a secret from any and all vampires but if Kris was going to stay here, it was probably going to become pretty obvious that something was wrong when he didn’t start healing right away. And it would take longer because of how long he’d run with the bullets in his body.

Christ, maybe he should take his chances by leaving so he could get back to the pack.

He shook his head, dismissing the idea as he slowly made his way after Adam. That idea was completely stupid and he knew it. He had no clue where he was and if he left without knowing where he was and what safe houses were nearby, he risked being found by other vampires that, unlike Adam, would probably end up being hunters. On top of that, if he was found, he risked getting caught, killed, or, even worse, leading them to the pack.

He considered the outcome for each scenario and made the decision to stay. The most obvious part of that decision was that he liked living. He was also extremely protective of his pack and he could easily imagine what would happen if he was killed or accidentally led the vampires to them. There was no way he’d ever risk them.

“Kris.” The way Adam was looking at him meant that he’d probably been trying to get Kris’s attention for awhile now. Kris blinked at him as he realized that they’d reached the bathroom. Once Adam saw that Kris was paying attention, he motioned to the toilet. “Sit down and take off your shirt.”

“There’s a request I’m not used to getting,” Kris muttered as he closed the toilet and sat, carefully pulling the shirt over his head. “Shit,” he muttered when it pulled at his wounds again. Kris closed his eyes and braced a hand on the sink’s counter, waiting for the pain to lessen. A cool hand covering his had his eyes snapping open. He looked up and sucked in a breath at the look Adam was giving him.

“I’ll find you a button up shirt after this,” Adam told him. “There’s no reason you should hurt yourself more each time you take off or put on a shirt.”

Kris smiled slightly, letting his thanks show clearly in his eyes. “Are you trying to tell me that I’m going to be stripping a lot around you?”

Adam grinned. “If you’re lucky.” The grin fell from his face as he motioned for Kris to scoot forward. Kris knew there was no way that Adam would ask him to turn around and he was grateful for that fact. Getting along or not, Adam was still a vampire and Kris wasn’t about to turn his back on him.

He’d learned a long time ago not to trust anyone too quickly.

Adam frowned as he sat on the side of the tub and leaned forward to examine Kris’s back. “They don’t look like they’ve really healed,” he said under his breath.

Hesitating, Kris debated shrugging off the unasked question before letting out a breath. It went against a lot of what he’d been taught but he was going to have to trust Adam with the truth and his instincts were telling him that he could. “They won’t,” he said, voice low enough that if Adam hadn’t been a vampire, he wouldn’t have been able to hear it. “Not for awhile.”

He could actually feel the way that Adam paused at that. “Why not?” Adam asked.

Kris’s hesitation was shorter this time but he also knew that it was probably more noticeable. “The silver. It stays in the bloodstream for awhile. As long as it’s there, there will be pain and any injuries we have won’t heal.”

Adam swore. “What helps you heal faster?”

“Rest,” Kris said simply. “There’s no cure for silver. Until it’s out of my system, I’ll be weaker than normal and take longer to heal. If I push myself too hard, I’ll relapse and the silver won’t run its course. I’m lucky that the amount of silver isn’t fatal.”

Tommy was going to kill him for telling Adam that, Kris just knew it.

“Then I’ll clean these and you’ll rest.” Adam reached out and began taking out the necessary supplies to clean out each stab wound. “At least this way we can stop any potential infection.”

Kris nodded, bracing himself as the smell of the rubbing alcohol filled the bathroom. He wrinkled his nose at the sharp scent and could only imagine what it was doing to Adam who was actually holding the bottle. At the first touch of the alcohol soaked gauze, Kris flinched, hissing at the way it burned. It didn’t matter how many times this had happened, he’d never get used to the feeling.

Adam set down the bottle of alcohol and place a hand on Kris’s leg, squeezing gently as he continued to swipe the gauze over each wound until the gauze was stained a reddish-brown from the blood that Kris had lost while running.

“Do you want me to leave these uncovered as well?” Adam finally asked, tossing the gauze in the trash. He didn’t move his other hand, instead waiting on Kris’s answer.

Kris stared down at Adam’s hand for a few moments before looking up and nodding his head. “Yes. But if I could lie down, that’d be a really good thing right now.” Already, he could feel the exhaustion of forcing himself to stay awake and move around creeping back in.

Adam tilted his head, staring at him for a while before he finally nodded and stood up. “You can use the bedroom we were in before. There’s a TV in there if you get bored and I’ll come check on you later.” It was obvious that he knew Kris wasn’t going to last much longer. He led the way to the bedroom, standing off to the side as Kris lowered himself to the bed, a sigh of relief escaping at the feel of being in an actual bed. “I’ll bring you another shirt later if you want as well. Rest for now.”

As Adam walked passed him, Kris couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and grasping Adam’s wrist. “I know I’ve already said it before but thank you.” He blinked at the feel of Adam running a hand through his hair.

“You don’t have to thank me.” Adam stared down at him, once again giving Kris the feeling that he was searching for something. “As I said, you’re welcome here.”

Kris nodded and let go, sliding back on the bed as Adam paused in the doorway. For a second, it seemed as if Adam were going to say something else before he simply nodded at Kris and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Sighing, Kris forced himself to stand up long enough to pull the comforter and sheets back. He hummed as he covered himself, carefully turning over so that he was on his stomach. He might as well get comfortable since he had no idea if he’d be able to sleep while closed in a room with nothing but a vampire in the apartment for company.

It was his last thought before he fell into a deep sleep.

~*~*~

It’d been another few hours since he’d fallen asleep, that much was easy to figure out when Kris opened his eyes. There were both blinds and curtains covering the window and that made sense since there was no way the sunlight was getting through both of those. Still, he was curious and he couldn’t help himself when he slowly pushed himself up so that he was sitting before throwing the covers to the side and carefully standing. He took a few deep breaths to steady himself before moving to the window and pushing both the blinds and curtains aside. At the sight of tin foil taped to the windows, Kris laughed. Tommy had used that technique a couple years ago, bitching that the sun woke him up earlier than necessary. It had worked too. The foil and blinds had been enough to keep the room dark for most of the day until the sun became extremely bright. He imagined that the heavy black curtains took care of any other light that tried to get in.

Letting the blinds and curtains fall back in to place, Kris turned to look at the room. There were framed posters of Broadway plays and old movies on the walls as well as concert posters. He grinned at the sight and then continued to look around, picking up the remote as he went, grateful for how clear his eyesight was in the dark. He tilted his head as he took in some of the DVDs that had been left in here and laughed when he saw some of the titles.

“ _Vampires Suck_ ,” he muttered, shaking his head. Though he supposed that was no different than Tommy and Allison insisting that they should watch _Teen Wolf_. He kept looking until he found _Serenity_. His face lit up and he quickly turned on the TV and slid the DVD in before slowly moving back to the bed and sitting back against the wall. He frowned and rearranged the pillow behind him so that his back wouldn’t get sore before settling back in for the movie.

He was barely twenty minutes in when there was a knock on the door before it opened to reveal Adam looking in. He nodded at the sight of Kris sitting up.

“I thought I’d see if you needed anything,” he offered, glancing at the TV. A quick smile appeared on his face before he turned back to Kris.

“Some company,” Kris said, to the surprise of both of them. Kris wasn’t the type that needed to have someone with him all the time; he was usually perfectly fine keeping himself company. For some reason though, he felt the need to ask Adam to stay.

It was a bit disturbing actually.

“Are you sure?” Adam had opened the door completely but it was clear that he was giving Kris an out if he wanted one. Instead of taking it, Kris nodded.

“Yeah, I can even start the movie over.” He moved over so that one side of the bed was clear for Adam.

Shaking his head, Adam carefully crawled up the bed, making sure not to disrupt Kris’s position too much. “No need. I know what happens after all.”

Kris had already gone to the main menu. “But it’s better to see it, no matter how many times you’ve watched the movie,” he insisted as he highlighted the first chapter and hit play.

Neither of them said anything as the movie restarted, both of them getting absorbed in the plot until Adam shook his head.

“Whenever I watch this movie, I hope that it never comes to something like this,” he said quietly.

Kris didn’t have to ask what he meant. “Humans try to control things too often. It might.” He sighed. “But I hope it doesn’t.” He looked up to see Adam staring at him. “What?”

“It’s not too often I find someone that agrees with me, that’s all. The last time I mentioned the prospect of that happening, I was told to stop being dramatic because humans wouldn’t ever be able to actually take it that far.” Adam rolled his eyes as he turned back to the screen. “Their arrogance never fails to amaze me. After all, we have vampires that are made and not born and they were once human. Some of them are among the smartest people I’ve known.”

Kris nodded. “That’s usually the case. I imagine it’s easy for anyone born into this life to forget that.” He turned back to the movie, rather than confirm or deny the fact that he was a born werewolf. Despite how easy it was to talk to Adam, he couldn’t do that.

“Yeah,” was all Adam said.

They continued to watch the movie, making meaningless observations until the credits began to roll. Adam motioned for Kris to stay put and went to take out the DVD. As he did, he glanced back with a questioning look and Kris simply nodded. Adam didn’t hesitate to put in another movie before he settled back in next to Kris.

As the movie started, Kris started snickering. “ _Paranormal Activity_? Really?”

“What? It’s a funny movie,” Adam insisted.

“I’m not disagreeing. I just can’t believe that was your pick. I thought you’d go for an older movie is all.”

Adam narrowed his eyes. “Did you just insult my age?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

The conversation went from there, from things like movies and music that they liked to sharing stories about their families. It surprised Kris how easily the conversation flowed and how easy it was to open up to Adam. Kris couldn’t remember the last time he’d been able to talk like this with someone.

Of course, Kris couldn’t say that either of them were one hundred percent honest with each other. There were still things that Kris wouldn’t tell Adam and he knew the same thing could be said for Adam.

They barely paused when the movie ended; simply talked through the process of Adam switching the DVDs out as the second _Paranormal Activity_ began. The only time that they paused was when Kris tensed, listening to the dog in the movie as it was hurt. Rather than make a joke, Adam simply put a hand on Kris’s leg.

“Sorry,” Kris muttered.

Adam shook his head. “Don’t be. It’s different if I see a vampire movie. Humans don’t know anything for sure about us. Look at _Interview with a Vampire_. I can guarantee you that that’s full of shit. But, for you, wolves and dogs are so closely connected that it can’t be easy to see or hear that kind of thing in a movie or in real life.”

Kris stared at Adam and then smiled slightly, nodding. “Yeah, actually, that’s almost exactly how I’d explain it.” He glanced down. “I can’t watch _Marley & Me_ unless I want to end up a mess.”

“Are you kidding? That’s a guaranteed make you cry movie. I bought it before I watched it and then I couldn’t bring myself to watch it for over six months because I knew the ending and I kept staring at the cover with the cute puppy.”

Kris laughed. “Exactly.” Letting out a breath, he turned back to the TV and then glanced at Adam out of the corner of his eye, grinning slightly. “So...how about them Yankees?”

Adam snorted. “You a Yankees fan?”

“No. You?”

Adam gave him a look. “Do I look like I watch sports of any kind?” Off of Kris’s laugh, Adam grinned. “It’s the truth.”

“Good to know.” Before he could say anything, the front door slammed open and he tensed. Next to him, Adam stiffened and Kris watched as Adam’s eyes flashed.

“What the fuck?” he growled, shoving himself so that he was standing. He glanced back at Kris, his eyes softening. “You’re safe.”

Somehow, that was a little harder to accept when there was already someone else here.

“Adam! Where the hell are you, you lazy asshole? I need to talk to you.”

Almost immediately, Adam relaxed. “Brad,” he sighed. “Idiot.” He shook his head. “I won’t tell him you’re here,” he promised.

He still couldn’t let himself relax fully but Kris let out a breath and nodded. “Okay.”

Adam quickly slipped into the hallway and Kris briefly wondered how Brad didn’t already know that he was there. After all, he knew for a fact that vampires, like werewolves, had heightened senses.

There had to be more to it. If anything, Brad was going to be able to scent him.

Shit, this wasn’t going to end well.

Taking a deep breath, Kris closed his eyes and focused on the sound of Adam and Brad in the living room. He tensed when he heard what was being said.

“Why does it smell like wolf in here? What’d you do, roll around with one of them?” That had to be Brad.

“Would you shut the fuck up?” Adam snapped. Kris could almost picture Adam’s face and it was actually almost disturbing how easy that was for him after less than a day with Adam.

“I’m just wondering. Because apparently there was a werewolf that got away last night. Gokey’s pissed. Which, okay, actually makes me a little happy because it’s Gokey and anytime he’s pissed, it’s a good day.”

Adam snorted. “You’re such an ass.”

“Like you don’t have your own fun with him. I was there, I heard you with your casual remarks about finding a pretty boy at the club. I thought his head was going to explode.”

At that, Kris couldn’t help but smile even as he fought a surge of jealousy. It made no sense for him to be jealous. He and Adam weren’t anything. Hell, he didn’t even know if Adam would consider him a friend.

And there was something else that was disturbing to Kris because he was pretty sure that Adam was well on his way to being a friend. He bit his lip. Hell, who was he kidding? He was already starting to think of Adam as a friend.

“Whatever. To answer you, yeah, I know a werewolf escaped. I ran into it.”

There was a long pause. “You let the wolf go?” Kris could only assume that Adam had nodded. “You realize what could happen to you if they find out?”

“Of course, I do. I’m not stupid. But the only way they’ll find out is if you say something since you’re the only one that knows.”

Kris couldn’t help but wonder what Brad would say to the fact that the werewolf in question was in the guest bedroom. Not to mention, he wondered what exactly this punishment was.

“Fine, I’ll give you that,” Brad acknowledged. “I won’t say anything. But, word of advice, until the scent fades, don’t come around the others. They’ll know right away.”

“I won’t. Now, what did you come to talk to me about? Because I don’t think it was the way my apartment smells.”

As Brad began to talk, Kris opened his eyes and stopped listening, choosing to stretch out instead. He let his thoughts wander, sending up a silent hope that everyone in the pack was safe. Now that he wasn’t distracted by movies and Adam, he desperately wanted to check in and see how they were all doing.

Not that that was anything new, it happened whenever he knew he was going to be separated from them for awhile.

Allison was right, Kris decided. He was definitely too protective. He knew that they could take care of themselves but that wouldn’t stop them from getting ambushed by a vampire or a group of vampires. Kris had gotten lucky when Adam had found him. He had no doubt that if any other vampire had found him—okay, except for this Brad, maybe—that he would have been taken and tortured and eventually killed because he wouldn’t have talked.

If there was one thing that they all learned early on, it was what needed to be kept a secret from the vampires.

The sound of the door opening had Kris jerking upwards, muscles tensing in anticipation.

“It’s just me,” Adam told him, stopping in the door.

Kris stared at him and slowly relaxed, nodding. He didn’t say anything since he wasn’t sure what he’d say at this point.

The easiness from before was gone and Kris barely kept from sighing as Adam shifted and cautiously sat on the bed as if unsure of his welcome, even in his own home.

Kris couldn’t help but wonder if it was going to be like this the entire time he stayed there. Shaking his head, he figured that he could say nothing and let it continue like this or he could do something about it. Choice made, he made sure to meet Adam’s eyes.

“So,” he finally said, “what movie should we watch next?” He waited to see if Adam would give him a weird look and couldn’t stop the warmth that spread through him when Adam gave him a relieved smile.

“I’m putting in my vote for a comedy.”

“Well,” Kris raised an eyebrow, “I noticed that you have _Vampires Suck_ in there.”

The way Adam laughed in response was answer enough.


	2. Chapter 2

The first time that Adam kissed him, it hadn’t been one of those moments that noticeably changed anything outwardly. It wasn’t something that anyone else would have looked back and pinpointed as a turning point but Kris had felt something inside himself shift the moment that Adam’s lips had pressed against his forehead. It had felt like something had simply clicked and then there’d been a moment of _There you are_ and he hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that he could trust Adam with everything from that moment on.

He’d found himself sharing more than he would have under any other circumstances and very pointedly avoiding any thoughts on what Tommy would have to say about what he was doing.

It’d been an experience, getting to know Adam and his thoughts on everything from the music they both loved to create to his philosophy on life (a topic that had been interesting considering how long vampires and werewolves could both live as long as they were careful). Even when they’d disagreed, he’d enjoyed it because it hadn’t turned into a way to prove the other wrong but a discussion between the two about why they believed certain things.

For awhile, Kris had thought that he’d actually managed to hide the change in his attitude pretty well until Adam had smiled at him a week after that first day and then leaned down and kissed him on the mouth.

Which was probably how, barely another week after that, Kris found himself pinned to the bed, nails digging in to Adam’s back as they fought for control of the kiss. He moaned when Adam slid a hand down his side and then up and under his shirt. The feel of Adam’s hand sliding along his chest caused Kris to gasp and arch his back, spreading his legs so that Adam could settle against him more fully.

Adam pulled back slightly. “You know, this doesn’t look like you relaxing,” he breathed against Kris’ skin. “Isn’t that what you told me you needed in order to get better?”

“I’ll be relaxed when you stop teasing me and I can come.” Because days of foreplay was not Kris’s idea of a good time so Adam really needed to move on. He shuddered when Adam licked up the side of his neck, biting just hard enough to leave an outline of his teeth on the underside of Kris’s jaw.

 _Mine_. The thought blindsided Kris and he gasped, biting down on his bottom lip until he’d drawn blood. He couldn’t say it out loud, not when he knew that saying it out loud would start to claim Adam in a way he wasn’t sure Adam wanted to be claimed.

Adam hummed and pulled back, staring down at Kris. At the sight of the small smile on Adam’s face, Kris sucked in a breath. He knew that the scent of his blood had to be pulling at Adam but Adam’s eyes didn’t stray once to his mouth. No, Adam’s eyes were focused directly on Kris’s eyes. After a few moments, Adam lowered his head slightly so that they were only a breath apart, his gaze steady on Kris’s.

“Yours,” he said, answering the silent claim. Kris shuddered against Adam again, letting out a low whine before he pushed up, pressing his mouth against Adam’s. Kris growled in the back of his throat, pulling back. Outside, it was a full moon and the knowledge of that flowed through him as did the knowledge that what he was doing was right.

“Mine,” he breathed, reveling in the way that everything inside of him just seemed to come alive. It was something to celebrate when a werewolf found their mate but Kris had never heard of a werewolf that mated with someone who wasn’t a member of a pack. A member of another pack, yes that had happened plenty of times. But outside of the pack was rare. And for him to find his mate in a vampire was going to be something that was going to raise hell.

“Kris,” Adam whispered. “I need...please.” He wouldn’t take from Kris without Kris’s permission.

Kris didn’t hesitate as he pulled back and stared up at Adam. “Yours.” Before Adam could react further, Kris tilted his head and bit down on the place where Adam’s neck met his shoulder. Rather than keep it light, he bit down until he drew blood, swiping his tongue along the mark, taking in the taste of copper and something that he could only define as Adam.

Adam’s hips jerked and he moaned as Kris laid back and tilted his neck in a move that clearly said he was submitting to Adam. Adam ran a hand along Kris’s neck and stared down at him before he smiled again. “Mine,” he whispered, lowering his mouth to Kris’s neck and biting down. The taste of Kris exploded inside him and it was as if he could feel Kris there, inside him. He bit down harder, deliberately leaving a mark before he pulled back and swiped his tongue over the bite mark, enjoying the way Kris whimpered and pressed up against him.

It hadn’t been the official claiming ritual for either a werewolf or a vampire but a mix of the two though that didn’t seem to matter. They could feel the difference between them. There was an awareness that went deeper than before. If asked, they’d both be able to pinpoint exactly where the other was in a room, in a building, in town without needing to look or even by just using scent. They couldn’t read each other’s thoughts but they’d be able to sense what the other was feeling or if they were in trouble.

Neither of them said anything as Adam sat up and yanked his shirt up and over his head, tossing it to the ground without a second thought. Kris stared for a moment, trailing his fingers over the many freckles scattered over Adam’s skin.

“Freckles,” he muttered to himself. He looked up to see Adam staring back down at him. “I like them.”

“That makes one of us.” Adam grinned and pushed the shirt Kris was wearing up. “Off.” He laughed when Kris simply arched up so that Adam could pull the shirt over his head.

Kris closed his eyes and let out a breath when Adam’s skin finally touched his. He hummed in pleasure when Adam licked the edge of his ear.

“You okay?” Adam asked, sliding a hand over Kris’ side.

Kris nodded. “I’m fine.” He hadn’t felt this good since before he’d been shot. “I’m fine,” he repeated, tugging at the button of Adam’s jeans. He huffed when Adam put a hand over his and stared at him for the next few minutes, studying Kris to make sure to make sure he was telling the truth.

“Okay,” he said, nodding in agreement. He didn’t wait for Kris to say anything else. Instead, he climbed off the bed and pulled off his jeans, smirking at the sound Kris made when he saw that Adam wasn’t wearing anything underneath them. The sweats that Kris was wearing slid off easily, his boxer briefs following soon after.

Adam looked up and nearly stopped at the sight that met him. He took in the way that Kris sprawled, legs opening to welcome Adam, one arm stretched above him. Slowly, he knelt at the foot of the bed, circling one of Kris’s ankles with one hand.

“Adam,” Kris frowned and kicked at him with the foot not being held down, letting out a sound of frustration when Adam grabbed that ankle and held it down as well, “Adam,” he repeated.

“I’ve got you, baby,” Adam told him, voice low as he began to crawl up the bed until he was straddling Kris’s legs with his body, his face level with Kris’s dick. “Just relax.” Kris shifted, one hand moving from his stomach to slide through Adam’s hair. His grip tightened when Adam wrapped his lips around the head of Kris’s dick, sliding down slowly, sucking harder the further down he went. Kris gasped and spread his legs further, trying to use his position to press closer. He groaned when Adam’s hands went to Kris’s hips, holding him down.

Kris swore when he felt his dick brush against the back of Adam’s throat. A moment later and Adam was taking him deeper before he pulled back and swirled his tongue around the tip of Kris’s dick.

There was no way that Kris was going to last long. This had been building for days and now that he was finally getting to have Adam, it was all moving quickly. Briefly, he considered that they’d moved too fast—they’d only known each other for a couple of weeks—but he dismissed the thought just as easily.

This was right.

That was the only thought running through his mind as Adam hummed low in his throat and circled one finger around Kris’s entrance before pressing in. Kris only had time to wonder when Adam had even opened the lube before the feel of Adam’s humming and Adam’s finger sent him over the edge, shouting Adam’s name.

Adam didn’t move, swallowing everything Kris had and continuing to suck until Kris batted at his head and tried to shift away from him. Once he had pulled back, he didn’t bother hiding the small, smug smile on his face as he looked down at Kris.

Kris laughed slightly and shook his head, eyes dark, limbs loose. “You’re a toppy bastard, aren’t you?”

“You like it,” Adam said simply and Kris nodded.

“Yeah,” was all he said, running a hand over Adam’s shoulder. He licked his lips when Adam slid up his body until they were face to face.

Kris gasped, eyes fluttering when Adam reached down and slid his finger back in him. “Going to open you up, Kris. Open you so much that I just slide right in.” Adam brushed his lips along Kris’s cheekbone as he slid another finger inside, reaching and searching with them until he found that spot that made Kris arch up as he shouted, his words coming out in one long ramble.

It wasn’t long before Adam had three fingers inside Kris, his eyes dark as Kris pushed back, fucking himself on Adam’s fingers.

Kris threw his head back, groaning as he felt himself getting hard again, and sent up a silent thank you for werewolf stamina.

“That’s my boy,” Adam murmured, pulling his fingers out. He smoothed a hand over Kris’s thigh before he stood, shaking his head at Kris’s protest. “Lube, babe, almost out and once I start, I’m not stopping.” He left the room and wasn’t gone for even a full two minutes before he was back, tossing the new bottle on the nightstand. Kris licked his lips again as he watched Adam grab the bottle that was already open and slick himself up then move towards the bed. He had only gotten halfway through rolling over when Adam stopped him with a simple touch to his ankle. “No. I want to see you.”

Blowing out a breath, Kris nodded and settled on his back, sparing only a brief thought to be happy that vampires didn’t need condoms so that he’d be able to feel Adam. He almost felt like he should say something but if he did that, he felt like he’d ruin this moment and there was just no way that Kris was going to risk doing that. Instead, he adjusted his position so that it was easier for Adam to settle over him. Adam lifted Kris’s leg up and over his arm, moving forward until Kris could feel Adam pressing against his entrance.

It shouldn’t have been so easy for he and Adam to fit. And it was easy, easier than Kris could’ve ever imagined. He couldn’t help but wonder if this was how it was like for anyone who had just found their mate or if this was just one more thing about him and Adam that was different.

Focusing on the way Adam felt as his hips snapped forward, Kris moaned, the sound coming out strangled when Adam managed to adjust his thrusts so that he was hitting Kris’s prostate with each thrust. Kris threw a hand up and over his head, hands reaching for a headboard that wasn’t there.

“Oh fuck,” he gasped. “Adam.” He stared up at Adam, eyes so dark that the only brown visible was nothing more than a thin ring around his pupils. “Harder.”

Adam laughed breathlessly, moving faster and thrusting harder, going deeper each time. “You’ll be feeling me for days. Every time you sit or even move, you’re going to feel me inside you.”

There were going to be bruises on Kris after this and he reveled in the idea that anyone who saw them would know that he was Adam’s. He ran his fingers down Adam’s back, making sure to dig in with his nails slightly so that he’d been sure to leave marks.

The smell of blood filled the air and Adam growled before his movements became erratic as the scent caused him to lose control. Kris deliberately met his eyes before once again tilting his head back and exposing his neck. He knew that the sight would be too much for Adam and he was right. Adam leaned down and bit him, directly over the spot that he had earlier, causing Kris to scream and arch his back again as he came.

He should probably be more embarrassed about the fact that Adam managed to make him come without even touching his dick but Kris found that he really didn’t care.

Adam’s thrusts began to lose their rhythm, Kris’s name falling from his lips like it was the only word, the only name that he would ever be able to say until he stiffened and dropped forward, Kris’s name coming out on a breath as he pressed his forehead against Kris’s.

“I swear, I usually last longer than that,” he muttered. He narrowed his eyes when Kris started laughing, running a hand down his back as he let his leg fall to the bed.

“You can prove it to me later.”

Adam carefully pulled away from Kris and let himself fall to the side. After a moment, he propped himself up on his elbows. “Hey, I’ve got a question.”

“Hmmm?” Kris turned his head towards Adam.

“Is it true?” Off of Kris’s look, Adam raised an eyebrow. “About dogs and...knots?” He pointedly began to lower his eyes before he suddenly toppled off the bed, courtesy of Kris’s foot. Adam laughed and sat up. “What? I’m curious!”

“Well, you’ll never find out now,” Kris told him, making it a point to pull the sheet over himself, fighting back a smile of his own.

Adam slowly pulled himself up and began to tug the sheet down. “Is that so?” he asked, a challenge clear in his eyes.

Kris smirked and wrapped a leg around Adam’s waist, flipping them over. “Yeah.”

“We’ll see about that,” was all Adam said before Kris was yanked back down.

~*~*~

Hours later, Kris hummed lightly as Adam pressed his mouth against his neck, nibbling at the mark he’d made. Stretching, he ran his fingers over one of the many scratches he’d left on Adam’s skin.

“I have to contact them,” he said softly. Adam tensed but didn’t say anything. “You know that if I don’t, they’re going to try and track me down. I can’t risk that.”

“I know.” Adam sighed and lifted his head. “Are you going to tell them?”

Kris nodded. “In person.” He hesitated. “I trust Tommy with my life but I don’t know how he’ll react to news of us. I’d rather not risk it.”

“Tommy?”

Kris looked up at him, the tone of Adam’s voice causing him to frown a bit. He ran a hand through Adam’s hair. “Just a friend,” he assured him. With that one sentence, Adam relaxed against him and nodded. “You’re my mate.”

At that, Adam smiled. “And you’re mine.”

Kris sighed softly, his grip tightening at that. “It happened fast.”

“It’s supposed to. That’s how I’ve always heard it, at least.” Adam sat up. “It always looks strange to anyone not going through it but I can guarantee that anyone that has found their mate would understand.” He shifted, looking down. “I know that under normal circumstances, you wouldn’t have told me a lot of what you have so far. At least, not so soon. But that’s the bond. We both know it, we both felt it from that day it started. It makes us trust each other, yeah, because that means it’s easier for us to get to know each other. But we’ve got years to settle in to this and figure it out.”

“I hadn’t really thought of it that way,” Kris admitted with a small smile. He nodded. “Okay. It’s time for me to call and let them know I’m okay. Maybe arrange to meet in a neutral spot.”

Adam nodded in agreement. “I’d like to be there.”

Kris considered it for a few moments and then nodded again. “I’ll ask to meet at night.” At that, Adam smiled.

“Then let’s get this over with.”

Kris didn’t bother getting dressed as he headed in to the kitchen for the phone that he’d used that first night. He paused when he felt a robe being placed over his shoulders and glanced back at Adam.

“Brad likes to drop in. He doesn’t get to see you naked.” It was unspoken that Brad wouldn’t be seeing Adam naked either since he’d pulled his jeans back on. A look of understanding passed between the two as Kris slipped the robe on, belting it as he walked.

There was no hesitation as he picked up the phone and dialed Tommy’s number. He grinned as he heard the familiar voice.

“Yeah?”

“Didn’t your momma ever teach you how to answer a phone?”

“Fuck me, Kris, where are you?” Tommy asked, his voice going from disinterested to demanding as soon as he heard Kris.

“Safe.” Kris paused and looked over at Adam. “With my mate.” Off of Adam’s look, he shrugged. It felt like he couldn’t help himself. He just wanted to tell everyone that he’d found Adam now that they had actually claimed each other.

“What? Your mate? Kris, when did you—“

“He helped me get away. We’re both safe. And I’m healed up enough that I wanted to call you.”

“Are you bringing him here?”

“Not yet. Actually, I wanted you to meet him first. Tonight at that diner on Jefferson?”

There was a pause. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Kris shook his head and then glanced down. “That’s something I need to tell you in person.”

There was another long pause. “Fine,” Tommy finally agreed. “Meet me there at 8:00.”

“We’ll be there, Tommy.”

“And be careful. The last thing we need is you getting attacked by another group of vampires,” Tommy added before he hung up.

“He always like that?” Adam asked.

Kris laughed. “Worse, sometimes.”

“Well, then this should be fun.” Adam ran a hand through Kris’s hair, lips twitching when Kris closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. He turned his body in towards Adam’s and let out a breath. “Feels good.”

Adam hummed in the back of his throat and leaned forward, smiling when Kris pressed his face against his neck. “We’ve still got hours until we have to be ready.”

Kris laughed and pressed closer. He knew that because they were newly mated that he’d want to keep touching Adam all the time. It was a honeymoon phase that every newly bonded pair went through and Kris had no idea what would happen by going to meet Tommy in the middle of this phase but he really hoped that it went relatively well. If he hadn’t been out of touch for so long, there was no way he’d even consider going out just yet but he wouldn’t risk the pack and, if they had somehow managed to track him down, he wouldn’t risk Adam either (and there was an entirely new feeling).

“Hours, huh?” Kris tilted his head back, already knowing what it did to Adam to see him like that. “I guess we better make the most of them.”

~*~*~

Kris sighed as he pulled up the black pants that Adam had given him on that first night. They no longer smelled completely like Brad, something that hadn’t bothered him when he’d first worn them; they now smelled like Kris but there was still an underlying hint of Brad that wouldn’t go away until Kris had worn the clothes for much longer than he already had.

The idea that Brad was here often enough that he left clothes here was something that had been bothering him over the last week. The fact that Brad hadn’t dropped by randomly since that first day was another thing he wondered about.

Had Adam told him not to? Had Adam been wrong and Brad had sensed Kris there and was just working on what to do now, how to get to Kris? Or was it as simple as Brad having something more interesting to occupy his time so he didn’t need to drop in on Adam or demand movie nights?

“Kris?”

He looked up, blinking at the sight of Adam standing in the doorway, watching him intently. Kris had a feeling that Adam had called his name a few times already. “Yeah?” he asked.

“What’s wrong?” Before Kris could start to answer, Adam walked further in to the room. “Don’t tell me nothing either.” He trailed a finger down Kris’s forehead. “You’ve got a line right in between your eyes that says otherwise.”

Kris blew out a breath. “I just...Brad?” he said, unsure of what he wanted to say or even how he wanted to say it.

Not that that seemed to matter since Adam simply smiled in understanding. “We’re not together. He found his mate years ago.”

Kris tilted his head, noticing something in Adam’s tone. “You used to be together.”

“A long time ago,” Adam told him. “Literally. Decades ago. But we weren’t good for each other as anything other than friends and we both knew it. So we moved on, managed to salvage the friendship though that took awhile too. Then he found his mate and, as strange as it sounds, that made it easier to be friends.”

It was stupid to feel relieved over that but Kris couldn’t help it and he knew that Adam could easily tell by the way that he smiled as he turned to grab his jacket.

“Tommy?” Adam asked suddenly.

Kris frowned and looked up, confused until he saw the way that Adam was pointedly avoiding his gaze. “We’ve never been anything more than friends. He’s just really overprotective.” Kris reached out and ran a hand down Adam’s arm. “You’re not the first to wonder but...no.” He smiled. “Tommy and I have never been anything more than friends.”

“Good.” Adam turned and pulled Kris towards him. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be,” Kris said, leaning against him. “Let’s go.”

~*~*~

They had barely entered the diner before Kris heard a low growl. Immediately, he spun and held up a hand, placing himself in front of Adam.

“Move, Kris.” Tommy narrowed his eyes at Adam.

Kris shook his head. “He’s my mate,” he said simply. He knew those three words would make it clear that he wouldn’t stand for any attacks or serious insults being thrown Adam’s way.

Tommy shifted, his eyes moving from Kris to Adam and back again. “What did you just say?” he asked.

“He’s my mate, Tommy.”

Swearing, Tommy turned around, looking as if he were considering something. After a few moments, he blew out a breath. “This isn’t going to end well,” he sighed, turning back to face them. “You realize this?”

“Well, I didn’t think it’d be rainbows and puppies,” Kris muttered, lips twitching when Adam snickered.

Tommy shook his head. “I think you should probably start from the beginning.” He motioned to the table he’d been sitting at. “No attacks this time,” he promised.

Kris glanced back at Adam and, after a silent exchange, nodded. They each sat at the table, leaving the chair with its back to the door empty and then, making sure that no one was listening, Kris began to talk, explaining about how he’d nearly been cornered by the group of vampires. Despite the fact that Adam had been the one to find him and he knew that Kris was fine now, he still tensed up as he listened, stretching his leg out to press against Kris’ so that he could assure himself of that fact.

Kris hooked his leg around Adam’s and smiled at him as he talked about Adam finding him and taking him in rather than killing him or leaving him for the others to find.

Tommy stared at Adam, causing Kris to pause. “I heard there’s a harsh punishment if a vampire is caught doing that.”

Adam returned the stare steadily. “There is,” was all he said.

“How harsh?”

“Tommy—“ Kris started before Adam shook his head, cutting him off.

“It’s okay. I get why he’s asking.” For a few moments, he didn’t say anything and then he sat back. “The punishment is a permanent death by being left out to burn in the sun.”

Kris stiffened, his leg tightening around Adam’s. “You never said that’s what the punishment was.”

“No,” Adam agreed. He couldn’t say that he had first kept it from Kris because he’d worried over how Kris would react. Kris had barely been with him a day before that had come out so he knew that the only reason he hadn’t said anything at first was simply because he had decided that he wasn’t going to reveal vampire secrets to a werewolf.

Rather than be angry, Kris simply stared at him and then nodded in understanding. He’d kept his own secrets after all.

“I don’t know that we have a punishment for not fighting the vampires but I imagine that it would end with death.”

“Randy doesn’t believe that a werewolf would ever take the time to do anything more with a vampire than fight or make an escape,” Tommy confirmed. “But the fact that you’ve mated with a vampire is not going to make him happy.”

The door to the diner burst open and Allison ran in, dark hair flying behind her as she ran up to their table.

“Allison,” Kris breathed, standing. He closed his eyes as she threw herself at him.

“You’re okay.” Allison squeezed him. “Don’t do that to me, big brother. I kept thinking of all these horrible things that could have happened.”

Kris lowered his head and took in her scent. “You always do.”

“If this were a fight, you’d be dead,” Tommy told her. “Or captured. Unless you’re deliberately ignoring that we’re sitting with a vampire.”

Allison pulled back and narrowed her eyes at Tommy. “First of all, I’m not stupid. I knew he was a vampire. But he also carries Kris’ scent. The bond between them is noticeable. Second of all, because he’s sitting with the two of you, I knew nothing would happen to me. You’re both extremely protective and since Kris is closer to the door, he’d have moved in front of me before anything could happen.”

Kris’s lips twitched as he looked at Adam and then tilted his head at Tommy. Adam followed the direction of his gaze and had to stifle a laugh at the look on Tommy’s face.

“I’ll give you that,” he finally allowed. “But you should still be more careful.”

Allison simply nodded and then turned back to Kris. “Congratulations on finding your mate.” She looked at Adam. “And congratulations to you too, vampire with no name.”

Kris poked Allison in the side even as he took a step back. He knew the look on Adam’s face and he was heading towards possessive. “Behave. Allison, this is my mate, Adam. Adam, this is Allison, the closest thing I have to a sister.” He reached out, tangling his fingers with Adam’s.

“Awesome,” Allison nodded at Adam. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Adam told her, unable to stop the smile that he aimed at her.

“No sense of self-preservation,” Tommy muttered. Off of Allison’s look, he simply raised an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes.

“As much as I wish I was just being nosy and coming to meet Kris’s mate, that’s not why I’m here,” she said.

“How did you know I was meeting Kris here?” Tommy asked.

“I heard you were talking to Kris so I listened to see if he was okay. That’s how I found out about his mate and where you guys were meeting and all that.” She didn’t look the least bit sorry about it, Kris noted. “And if you had just told me what was going on, I wouldn’t have had to listen in, now would I?” She turned back to Kris. “But you have a problem. Randy knows. Taylor was listening in too, for some reason. I heard her talking to Randy when I was getting ready to leave. She didn’t stick around long enough to find out that the two of you were meeting, which was dumb, but she knew that you had found your mate and now Randy does too.”

Kris swore. “Which means he knows that I’m well enough to call in.”

“He’ll be expecting you to come back and he’ll be expecting you to bring your mate so that he can meet him and welcome him to the pack,” Tommy added.

It’d be an honor normally, something to look forward to. The pack welcoming another member, even if they weren’t a wolf, but this time it’d cause all hell to break loose.

“If I don’t go, it’ll be worse.” Kris leaned against the table. “He’ll know for sure that something is wrong and want to find out what.”

“If you go, they’ll be able to scent me on you. Allison knew as soon as she walked in that we’re mates,” Adam told him. “What makes you think the pack’s Alpha won’t be able to sense it right away?”

“I don’t. He’ll be able to sense that we’re mates. I’m hoping he won’t be able to sense you’re a vampire.”

“My scent,” was all Adam said in reply.

Kris nodded in acknowledgement. They could tell the difference between a vampire and a human when it came to scent just like vampires could sense the difference between a werewolf and a human. “We say that I had another run in with a vampire on the way in but was able to take him by surprise.”

“Will that work?” Allison asked.

“I don’t know,” Kris admitted. “But it’ll buy us some time.”

“I don’t like it,” Adam said, standing up and moving to stand next to Kris. “If this goes wrong—“

“You’ll be able to find Kris,” Tommy interrupted. He moved to stand between Kris and Allison. “I don’t like the plan either but it’s all we’ve got. If something goes wrong, you’ll know. The bond may not cause mates to be able to read each other’s thoughts but you can sense each other. No matter where the other one is in this city, you’ll be able to sense them and you’ll be able to feel them. Which means if it goes wrong, Adam can use that to get to Kris.”

Kris looked up at Adam and grinned a bit. “See? You’ll just have to charge in and rescue me if something goes wrong.”

Adam wrapped an arm around Kris and shook his head. “Well, let’s hope that’s not needed, right?”

“We should go as soon as possible.” Tommy put a hand on Allison’s shoulder when Kris nodded in agreement. “We’ll give you a few minutes.” Tommy nodded at Adam and briefly reached out to squeeze Kris’s hand. “I’ll wait for you over there, Allison.”

She nodded at him before turning to face them. “It was nice to meet you, Adam.” She shrugged. “Well, it’d have been better if the situation weren’t so crappy.”

“Hasn’t turned crappy yet,” Adam told her. “Hopefully it won’t.”

Allison grinned and nodded, reaching out to hug him quickly. Kris laughed at the look of surprise on Adam’s face and then pulled Allison in to a hug. “Thank you,” he whispered.

“Duh,” she muttered.

He laughed. Of course it wouldn’t be a question of whether or not to accept Adam. In her mind, he had become family the moment he became Kris’s mate, vampire or not. “I’ll see you outside.”

“Okay.” She nodded and shot one last smile at Adam before she joined Tommy at the door, waving as they walked out.

As soon as they were through the door, Kris turned towards Adam, running his hand over Adam’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine.”

“I’ll believe that when this is done. I have a bad feeling about this, Kris. You don’t know how he’s going to react.”

“No,” Kris admitted. “But Randy is pretty fair. I’d like to think that he’ll stay that way. A mate bond happens when the two are meant for each other. You don’t just randomly choose your mate or say nope, they’re not the one.”

Adam smiled. “Listen to you, talking about fate and destiny.” He pressed his lips to Kris’s forehead. “I like it.”

“Some things just are,” Kris said simply, wrapping his arms around Adam’s waist.

Instead of saying anything, Adam tilted Kris’s head back and pressed his mouth against Kris’s. His grip tightened when Kris moved forward and opened his mouth wider when Adam swiped his tongue along his bottom lip. Adam explored Kris’s mouth, running his tongue over the roof of his mouth and along his teeth until he knew that Kris would be able to taste him long after he went to see the pack.

Slowly, Adam pulled back, smiling when he took in the sight of Kris standing there with his eyes closed, mouth open and lips red and shiny.

Kris opened his eyes and laughed at the smug look on Adam’s face. “Ass,” he said lightly.

“You’re mine,” Adam replied, running his hands over Kris’s back.

“I am,” Kris agreed. “And I’m going to be fine.” He frowned. “What about you? If you run into any other vampires and they’re able to smell me...” He trailed off.

“I’m headed straight back to my place. If anything, I’ll say I had a run in and you managed to get away. But I won’t run into anyone.”

“Just...be careful. Please, Adam.”

“I will be,” Adam assured him. “I promise. You do the same. I won’t stop if something happens to you, Kris. And it won’t be pretty if anyone gets in my way.” He didn’t bother to hide the growl in his voice as he spoke.

“Adam—“

Adam shook his head and glanced around. “Silentium totus sanus,” he whispered. Kris sucked in a breath as the air around them seemed to ripple and then Adam pressed his forehead against Kris’s, making it hard for anyone to see their faces. “This is what I didn’t tell you about that first night. Magic, Kris. It’s not something many people can do and I’ve always had a gift for it.”

“So, when you said you asked for me to be protected...”

“I was being literal.” Adam nodded. “Yeah.”

“And then just now, when you said that if anyone got in your way—“

“I meant that literally too. If something happens and someone gets in my way, I won’t hesitate to use it against them. Not to kill because that’s a line I won’t cross when it comes to magic but just because I don’t kill with my magic doesn’t mean I won’t make them suffer.”

“I thought one of the rules for magic was harm none. Wouldn’t that be breaking the rules?”

“You’re my mate. I can ask for permission to defend you. If it’s granted, then there won’t be any consequences.”

Kris tensed. “And if it’s not granted and something were to happen—“

“I’d still go after you. I’d just have to do things a little more hands on. Magic would...cover my tracks more but I don’t like using it unless I’ve got a damn good reason.”

That caused Kris to smile. “You used it the night that we met.”

Adam stared at him. “Yeah.”

“You didn’t know a thing about me,” Kris said, “but you still used magic.”

Knowing exactly where Kris was going with that line of thought, Adam nodded, lips tilted up slightly. “I followed my instincts. And they were right.”

Kris opened his mouth to say something, only to stop when he heard a tapping sound against the window. He glanced over to see Tommy giving him a look that was a mixture of apologetic and impatience to get going.

Adam followed his gaze and then whispered, “Desino.” He turned back to Kris. “Be careful,” he told Kris.

“You too,” Kris replied. He stretched up and pressed a quick kiss to Adam’s mouth before he stepped back. He stared at Adam for another moment and then turned and walked out of the diner.

Kris couldn’t resist one last look through the window as he passed. Adam was leaning against the counter, watching him go, and suddenly, Kris could only hope that he’d been right when he said that everything would be fine and that Adam’s bad feeling had been wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

Nerves, Kris decided, were going to be the thing that ruined this. He couldn’t seem to stop fidgeting and he was pretty sure that Tommy was going to decide to kill him any second.

“Kris,” Tommy hissed. “You do remember the plan, right?”

Kris let out a breath. “Yes.”

“Well, for the record, this is not acting normal.”

“I know.” Kris nodded and then rolled his shoulders back. He thought of Adam and everything that would be at risk if things didn’t go well and forced himself to relax. After a few minutes, he nodded again.

Tommy nodded in approval. “You smell a hell of a lot calmer.”

“I’m feeling calmer,” Kris told him.

“Then let’s get this over with,” Allison said, glancing between the two of them.

“The sooner, the better,” Kris muttered, walking towards the doors that led to the main room where he knew Randy spent a good portion of his time going over plans for the pack. It was also the room where all important meetings were held. Kris nodded in acknowledgement when a few other wolves walked by, saying that it was good to see him back home.

He smiled but silently disagreed that this didn’t feel like home anymore. Adam felt like home to him now, crazy as it may seem to most people.

Keeping that in mind, Kris took a deep breath and knocked on the doors. It didn’t take long before Randy was telling him to enter. Exchanging a quick look with Tommy and Allison, Kris shoved open the doors and walked inside.

“Kris,” Randy said, “you’re looking good. How are you feeling?”

Kris smiled. “Just fine, thank you.” He lowered his head slightly, acknowledging Randy as pack Alpha. He knew what was expected of him and so he moved forward so that he was facing Randy, head low to show that he wasn’t challenging him. “I found my mate.”

Randy stood, acknowledging Kris’ submission with a gesture. “That’s amazing,” he exclaimed. “And when will you be bringing them to meet us?”

And this was the moment when things changed, one way or another. For a brief moment, Kris wished for more small talk and then he gave himself a mental shake. “I’m not sure about that.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he could feel the tension begin to build in the room. Behind him, he knew that Tommy and Allison were fighting not to tense up.

“Tommy, Allison, thank you for bringing Kris back but I’d like to talk to him alone right now.” The tone of Randy’s voice made it clear that it wasn’t a question. Kris very deliberately didn’t look at them, not wanting to give anything away to Randy. Once the doors had closed behind them, Kris waited for Randy’s next question, extremely aware of the other two wolves that stood behind Randy. “Now, Kris, explain why you’re not bringing your mate to meet the pack?”

“I don’t know if my mate would be welcomed to the pack,” Kris said honestly. He could actually feel the tension in the room mounting.

“Kristopher,” was all Randy said.

Kris straightened at the demand in Randy’s voice. “My mate is a vampire.”

There was a few moments of silence and then Randy narrowed his eyes and moved around the table so that he was facing Kris. “A vampire,” he repeated. “Your mate is a vampire.”

“Yes,” Kris confirmed.

Randy nodded. “Well, that’s fine,” he said. Kris began to relax. “We can break that bond and take care of the vampire.”

Kris stared at him. “What?” he asked.

“Don’t look so surprised, Kris. There’s a way to break the mating bond. It’s painful and one half of the pair does have to die but all we’ll have to do is lure the vampire here and it will easily be taken care of.”

Kris couldn’t stop the horror from showing on his face at the thought of what they might do to Adam. Shaking his head, he took a step back. Breaking a bond between mates was something that just wasn’t done and to hear Randy talk so casually about breaking his bond with Adam caused every instinct in Kris to scream at him to run, to get out of here and back to Adam.

“I can’t do that,” Kris told Randy.

A look of regret flashed over Randy’s face. “I was afraid you’d say that.” He nodded and even as Kris turned to run for the door, the two wolves that he now recognized as Ruben and Blake grabbed him and shoved him back, holding his arms. “I’d prefer to get rid of the vampire, Kris, but I can get rid of you if necessary.” Kris gasped as he felt a knife slide into his side, the familiar pain of silver ripping through him once and then a second time. A moment later, he felt a needle sliding into his arm and he groaned, jerking against their hold as more silver was injected in to his system. “I want you to consider it, Kris. You’re pack so you’ll have an hour to change your mind and if you do, we can consider this just a hard-learned lesson. If not, then an example will be made of you. It’s for the good of the pack, Kris.”

Kris shook his head even as he felt himself lifted and dragged through a different set of doors than the ones he’d come in from. He knew that Tommy and Allison would figure out that something was wrong but he could only hope that they would be able to get a hold of Adam without getting caught. Already, he could feel the silver taking its toll on him. Despite the rest he’d gotten over the last couple of weeks, it was still too soon for an injury like that.

“I’ll come see you soon for your decision, Kristopher.”

It was the last thing that Kris heard before everything went black.

~*~*~

Kris groaned, turning his head to the side as he became more aware of his surroundings. He cursed himself for letting his guard down even for the little bit that he had. If he’d just made sure to stay alert then he would’ve realized just how close Ruben and Blake had gotten to him before they grabbed him.

“I was hoping you’d wake up soon.”

Kris tensed and forced his eyes open, swearing at himself again for not realizing that Randy was in the room with him. The silver was definitely messing with his senses. He grimaced, closing his eyes once more against the pain.

“Have you made your decision?” Randy asked, staring down at him.

Kris kept his eyes closed for a few minutes before he slowly opened them again and nodded. “I’m not killing my mate,” he said, voice hoarse as if he’d been screaming. “I won’t.”

Randy sighed. “Then you leave me with no choice.” He reached over and picked up another syringe, larger than the first one he’d used, and jammed it in to Kris’s arm. Kris kicked out when he felt the silver entering him again. He felt a flash of satisfaction when he felt his foot connect with Randy’s side. The satisfaction turned to pain when Kris felt Randy’s nails rip through his leg. “I’d make this quick,” Randy told him, “but I want the others to remember this as a lesson. That they can’t just run around with vampires, there are rules and we’ve been fighting this war for too long.” Randy picked up another syringe and repeated the process of injecting the silver in to Kris. “Goodbye, Kris.”

Turning his head, Kris watched as Randy walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He hadn’t bothered to bring Ruben or Blake in with him or lock the door. The knife wound and three syringes full of liquid silver would be enough to keep Kris down and they both knew it.

 _God, Adam_ , Kris thought, thinking back to their conversation at the diner. He knew that it wouldn’t take long for Adam to try and come for him and he didn’t know what would happen after that. He attempted to push himself up and whimpered when his muscles protested. Showing weakness now didn’t matter, there was no one to see it.

It was damn insulting to know that they didn’t even consider him a threat even if he knew that he wouldn’t do much good right now.

He kept thinking of ways that he could have done things differently, kept thinking that it would’ve been better to just run off with Adam rather than trying to stay here.

Fuck, things were so messed up now.

He closed his eyes and leaned back, pressing himself against the wall, and let himself drift. He could feel himself getting more and more tired as his body fought to keep the silver from killing him. Images from the last couple of weeks flashed through his mind. Adam on that first night, Adam watching movies and arguing his beliefs, Adam kissing him for the first time.

He couldn’t have said how much time had passed before the door burst open causing his eyes to fly open. Kris stared at Adam in shock, taking in the sight of the scrapes on his knuckles and the scent of blood on him. Behind Adam, he could see Tommy keeping watch on the hallway.

“Kris,” Adam breathed. “Shit, what happened?” He didn’t wait for an answer as he walked towards Kris.

“Silver,” Kris told him. “Randy used silver on me.” He watched the anger appear on Adam’s face and shook his head. “They’re leaving me to die slowly as an example. But I don’t know if anyone will come to check on me, we should get out of here now.” He paused. “How long—“

“You came here a couple of hours ago. When I didn’t hear anything, I called Tommy,” Adam told him. Off of the confused look Kris gave him, Adam added, “I hadn’t called anyone since you called him so I just hit redial. He told me as much as he could of what had happened and I got here as fast as I could.” As he talked, he pulled Kris to his feet, wrapping an arm carefully around him when Kris stumbled.

“How much silver?” Tommy asked as they neared the door.

Kris stared at him. “Three syringes and a couple of knife wounds.”

“Fuck!” Tommy shoved away from the wall. “We need to get out of here. Come on.”

“How long does that give us?” Adam demanded as they began to walk down a hallway. Kris didn’t pay attention to the answer, knowing what it would be, and chose to study the wounds that the wolves scattered in the hallway had.

Adam definitely hadn’t been joking when he’d said that he wouldn’t let anyone stand in his way.

The sound of Adam swearing told him that Tommy had revealed that Kris probably only had a couple of hours left with all the silver that had been pumped directly in him.

Kris would have sworn to anyone that asked that they had just left the room but he knew that he had definitely lost some time when he looked up to find Allison standing near a van, arguing with Tommy before he seemed to give in and let her climb inside of the van.

“Adam?”

“Almost out of here, babe,” Adam told him softly. “I just need you to keep going for a little longer.”

“Okay.” Kris let himself lean more against Adam. He forced himself to focus as much as he could, unwilling to let himself lose track of his surroundings again. He knew he could trust Adam to watch out for him but he needed to prove to himself that he wouldn’t be a liability if something happened.

Stumbling a bit, Kris couldn’t stop the whimper that escaped. It felt like his bones were grinding against each other with every movement that he made. Shouts behind them caused them to start moving faster and Adam swore when he heard shots being fired. He snarled and spun, taking a bullet that had been headed straight for Kris’s back just as they reached the van.

“Fucking silver,” Allison growled as she reached out a hand to make sure the door didn’t close on Kris or Adam. She reached out and touched Kris’s hand as he passed her to collapse in the back of the van. “You’re going to need blood.”

As soon as Adam had climbed in after Kris, she slammed the doors shut, tensing when she heard the shouting that had started up inside.

“They know,” she called up to Tommy, who nodded and turned the key, listening in satisfaction as the van roared to life.

“You guys will be in so much trouble,” Kris managed, biting his lip.

“I don’t care,” Allison said.

“We’re not going back,” Tommy admitted. “We knew exactly what we’d be getting in to if we helped you, so bitching at us won’t do any good.”

Kris smiled a bit, pressing his face against Adam’s thigh before he frowned. “But—“

“You’ve got Cale’s support too,” Allison interrupted. “He’s the one that managed to find the van and he’s meeting us with supplies.” She held up her phone. “I texted him.”

“We’re going to need to switch to another van. They got a look at this one and I’d bet money that they saw the license plate,” Adam told them.

“It’ll take me time to get another van.” Tommy glanced in the mirror. “Until then, we’ll have to make use of this one.”

Adam sighed. “I don’t know when this turned into a road trip for a group but I know of someone who can get us a different van.” He raised an eyebrow at them in a silent question.

“Do it,” Kris said softly, gripping Adam’s thigh. He turned his head and smiled when he saw Allison and Tommy both nod in agreement.

Adam stared down at Kris for a moment and then grinned, leaning down to press a quick kiss to Kris’s forehead. “I’m calling Brad,” he said, lips brushing against Kris’ skin. “He’s got some of the strangest contacts that I can think of, he can get us another van with no trouble, I’m sure.”

“Will he feel like he has to say anything once he knows everything?” Tommy asked.

Adam hesitated. “He might insist on coming along actually. He knew that I had let Kris go and didn’t say anything but I don’t think he’ll want to stay if he knows the full truth.”

Tommy nodded. “Okay. Make the call. If something goes wrong, we’ll just push it and get the fuck out of town after getting Cale.”

Already dialing, Adam nodded. He ran a hand down Kris’s chest and watched with a frown as Kris grimaced when they went over a pothole. He couldn’t stop his own wince when he moved the wrong way.

“Are you okay?” Kris asked, trying to reach around towards Adam’s back.

“I’m fine.” Adam shook his head off of Kris’s look. “It’s just one bullet, I promise I’m fine.”

“Bet he’s better than you,” Allison jumped in, distracting Kris as they heard Brad pick up on the other end. Kris made a face at her even as he listened in with one ear.

“Brad, I need your help,” Adam said. On the other end, Kris could practically hear Brad straightening up.

“What’s wrong?”

“Before you agree, I need to tell you what’s going on.” Adam tangled his fingers with Kris’s. “I found my mate.”

“That’s amazing, Adam! Why were you sounding like something horrible had happened? You bitch, I was getting wor—“

“He’s a werewolf,” Adam interrupted.

There was silence for a few moments and then Kris heard Brad swear. “Repeat that for me because I’m pretty sure I’m hearing things.”

“My mate’s a werewolf,” Adam repeated, tracing Kris’s knuckles with his thumb.

“Shit, Adam. This is why you need my help?”

Adam nodded despite the fact that Brad couldn’t see him. “He went to tell the Alpha and was nearly killed because he refused to let them kill me to break the bond.” Adam squeezed Kris’s hand and Kris squeezed back even as he frowned and glanced over at Allison. Off of her nod, he realized that she and Tommy must have told Adam what had happened. “That fucker pumped silver into him and they saw the van we used to drive off.”

“Fuck me,” Brad swore. “The Alpha is using silver on his own pack.”

“He said he was going to make Kris an example.”

“Asshole. Let me guess, you need a new van.”

“Yeah.” Adam licked his lips. “I know what I’m asking Brad so if you can’t do it then—“

“Shut up, Adam,” Brad interrupted. “Like that’s even a question. I’ll get you a new van.” He paused and then, “Cassidy’s been able to hear us and we’re agreed. I do this and we come with you guys.”

Adam looked at the others and they nodded though Kris tilted his head towards Tommy and Allison. Adam nodded in understanding. “If you come then—“

“Okay, if you’re about to warn me not to hurt your mate, I’m going to be insulted. I don’t care that he’s a werewolf.”

“He won’t be the only one.”

There was another pause. “You’re having an orgy with a group of werewolves?” Brad sounded like he was torn between amusement, confusion, and horror.

Kris growled at the thought and pressed against Adam. “Mine,” he muttered. Adam couldn’t stop the small laugh.

“Yours,” he confirmed.

“Oh hell, he heard that?” Brad said. “He’s not going to kill me, is he?”

Adam laughed again when Kris shook his head. “No. He won’t. Now, are you sure you’re still in? Besides my mate, there’ll be three other werewolves.”

“I’m fine, Cassidy’s fine. Will they be?”

“We discussed it before I called.”

“They’re treating you decently?”

Adam nodded again. “Yeah, they are, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Then Cassidy and I are in,” Brad told him. “Give me thirty minutes, an hour tops. I’ll call you when I have it and you can tell me where to meet you.”

“Thank you,” was all Adam could say. He let out a breath.

“You’re welcome. And Adam? I hope you’ve planned beyond getting a van.” Without waiting for an answer, Brad hung up.

Rather than saying anything about the conversation that had just happened, Tommy pulled up to the curb where Cale was waiting. “We need to get new blood in Kris.”

Adam immediately began moving his sleeve up, figuring that Kris could start by taking from his wrist. It’d save him from having to strain his neck too much by trying to sit up. He growled when Allison reached out and pushed his wrist away.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.

“You were shot with a silver bullet, Adam,” she told him calmly. “It means the silver is in your system right now and it’s not leaving anytime soon since we haven’t gotten the bullet out yet. That means Kris can’t take any of your blood, it’ll just make him worse.” She gave him a sympathetic smile. “He’s going to have to take blood from us.”

“He can start with me and Allison since Tommy’s driving,” Cale said. He nodded at Adam. “Sorry to meet you like this.”

“Yeah,” Adam said back, gripping Kris a bit tighter. He stopped when he saw the pained look appear on Kris’s face. “Sorry.” He ran a hand over Kris’s arm.

“It’s fine.” Kris rolled his head a bit to meet Cale’s eyes. “Hey, Cale.”

“That’s it? That’s all you have to say to me? You lay low for weeks and then come back and you’ve found your mate, which, hey, congratulations, and he’s a vampire and you nearly get killed and all you have to say to me is hey? Really?” Cale asked.

Kris laughed. “Yeah, it’s good to see you too.”

“You’re going to give me a heart attack,” Cale muttered as he shoved his jacket off and pulled out a small knife. He glanced up and Adam acknowledged the gesture with a small smile. Cale shifted to make sure that he wouldn’t fall over and sliced through the skin at his wrist, making sure to cut deep enough that Kris wouldn’t have to bite him at all to get the blood he needed. “Drink up, baby boy.”

Kris snorted and rolled his eyes at the nickname even as he held Cale’s wrist to his mouth and began to swallow, using his tongue to keep the cut open.

Adam kept one hand on Kris, looking up when Allison grabbed one of the bags that Cale had left in the front.

“First aid,” she said. “If you’re willing to trust me, I’ll take the bullet out now and that’ll get you a head start on getting the silver out of your system.”

“Then do it,” Adam told her without any hesitation. He let go of Kris long enough to shrug his jacket off, grimacing a bit before he pulled his shirt off as well. He glanced down when he felt Kris put a hand back on his knee. With a small smile, he slid his hand over Kris’s.

“This is going to probably hurt like hell but I’ll try to be quick. You’re going to have to lie down though,” Allison told him. “If we do hit a bump, it’ll be worse if you’re just kneeling and I send you falling on Kris.”

Adam nodded and let go of Kris again to stretch out next to him, lying on his stomach. Adam reached out and put his hand on Kris’s chest, turning his head to watch him. Cale had moved so that he could let Kris drink from his other wrist. He tensed when Allison began to prod at the bullet wound. Every instinct he had was screaming to get away from her and protesting that he’d exposed his back to her.

“That’s enough, Kris,” Cale said softly, pulling his wrist away. Kris nodded, lying back down. “That should be enough for now.”

“At least until I’m done here,” Allison confirmed. “Then you can have some of my blood and that’ll definitely help fight the silver even more.”

Kris nodded. “Yeah.” He yawned and blinked rapidly, fighting to stay awake.

“You can sleep,” Adam told him. “Wait until you wake up to take Allison’s blood. You need to rest.”

“I hate to say it but we’ll be better off if he takes my blood sooner rather than later,” Allison didn’t even look up from her task, “and then he’ll be able to sleep longer and when he wakes up, he can have some of Tommy’s blood. By the time Tommy’s blood has run through his system, the silver should be out of yours since you only had one bullet and it wasn’t in there long. Then Kris can have some of your blood.”

“And if that’s still not enough for that amount of silver, we start the process all over again, in the same order because by then we’ll have rested enough,” Tommy added.

Allison let out a small shout of triumph. “I rock,” she announced, holding the bullet up with a pair of tweezers. She reached in the bag and grabbed some gauze, using it to wrap the bullet so they could get rid of it later before using the rest to cover the bullet wound.

“Thanks,” Adam said. He pushed himself up and moved so that he could sit against the wall of the van, pulling Kris so that he was partially sitting up, leaning back against Adam. “I thought it’d be easier this way.”

“Good.” She held out a hand to Cale. Without being told, Cale tossed the knife to her so that she could cut her own wrist. “Thanks.” Cale waved a hand at her in response as he cleaned the cuts on his wrist and pressed gauze against them, taping it down easily even as Allison offered up her wrist to Kris, who began to drink.

Kris could already feel the difference after having taken blood from Cale and now Allison. It already hurt less to move and though he could still feel the way the silver was traveling through his blood, attacking his system, he could also tell that the new blood in his system was fighting back. He focused on that feeling and closed his eyes, swiping his tongue across the cut in Allison’s wrist to make sure it wasn’t still dripping before pulling back.

“Other wrist and then you can sleep,” Allison told him softly.

Kris nodded as they repeated the process with her other wrist. He could feel himself getting full though he pushed himself to the limit of how much he could take, knowing that the more he took the better off he’d be. Allison would protest if he didn’t take enough too, he could guarantee it.

Eventually, he pulled back and nodded at both Allison and Cale. “Thanks.” The difference in his voice was obvious and he smiled, letting his eyes fall closed and turned so that he was sitting more comfortably in Adam’s lap.

It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep.

~*~*~

The moment that Kris began to wake, the emptiness inside registered and he whimpered, turning so that he was completely in Adam’s lap. He didn’t let himself think about anything but Adam as he pressed his face against Adam’s neck, biting down softly. He didn’t move other than to wrap his arms around Adam’s waist tightly, ignoring the fact that he could feel two other vampires in the van. Logically, he knew it had to be Brad and his mate but at the moment he didn’t care.

“Kris?” Adam said softly. Kris didn’t move.

“He can feel the loss of the pack,” Cale explained, his voice a bit strangled. “We’re all feeling it.”

“What?” Kris recognized the voice as Brad’s from the few times he’d heard Brad talk and he shuddered, knowing the explanation that was coming.

“When you’re part of the pack, you can feel them. Inside. It’s nothing like the bond you have with your mate, you can’t feel what’s going on with them, but you’ll be able to find the pack. No matter where they are, you can feel them. It’s like...knowing that no matter where you are, you can find your way home,” Allison explained. Her breath hitched and then she continued, “We’ve been cut off. Randy’s used his status as Alpha to...basically kick us out. We can’t feel the pack anymore, we don’t know where they are.” Kris could picture the look on her face, the pained smile that she’d be wearing now. “I guess you could say we’ve been disowned.”

“But what about your families there?”

“They can’t feel us as part of the pack anymore either,” Tommy said. “In some ways, this might be considered merciful because we’re still alive. But it’s harsh too because of how much it hurts, because we know we can’t get that back unless a new Alpha comes along. We’re without a pack unless another decides to take us in. Had we still been in town when Randy did this and we’d gotten caught, he’d have ordered us to be ripped apart, literally.”

“Fuck,” another voice said and Kris could only assume that was Brad’s mate, Cassidy.

Adam tightened his arms around Kris, tilting his head so that he could press his lips to Kris’s head without disrupting him.

“Is that why you suddenly shifted so that the three of you were touching?” Adam asked, voice slightly muffled by Kris’s hair.

“Yes. Kris has you so he can take comfort in having you here. None of us have found our mates yet but having each other around, being able to touch, helps.”

Adam ran his hands up and down Kris’s back. “I’ve got you,” he murmured.

“I was able to figure out our timing and we’ll be able to make it through two towns before we need to stop at a hotel so that we can all get rest. I figure after that, if we need to push, we can just take turns resting in the back though I don’t know how safe that’ll be for you three with only blankets to block out any sun that might come in through the windshield. But Kris is going to need a bed tonight at the very least and I’d rather Cale and Allison rest on a bed too.” Tommy glanced in the rearview mirror, eyebrow raised.

“You plan ahead. I like that in a person,” Brad said. “It sounds like a good plan right now and we can figure out the rest when we stop. Because I still don’t know where we’re supposed to be going and packing everything in only a couple of bags was a pain in the ass.”

Cale snorted. “Yeah, I hear that.” He didn’t say anything else and didn’t wait for an answer, moving to sit in the front with Tommy instead.

No one else said anything as the situation began to sink in for each of them. Kris closed his eyes again, breathing in Adam’s scent and worrying at the skin between his teeth slightly before he settled down again.

“Rest, Kris,” Adam told him softly. “I’ll wake you up when we get to the hotel.”

Kris fell asleep to Adam’s scent and taste and the feel of Adam’s hands on his back.

~*~*~

Kris hummed and opened his eyes slowly when he felt himself being moved. He lifted his head and took in the way Adam had shifted as if he were going to pick him up. “I thought you were going to wake me up,” he said, rubbing his eyes.

“I thought I’d be able to get you inside first.” Adam brushed Kris’s hair back and studied him, gripping Kris’s waist. “Are you okay?”

Kris thought about it for a few moments. “Not really,” he admitted. He smiled slightly. “But I’m better than I would have been.”

Adam nodded and smiled. “Good.” Carefully, he lifted Kris off of his lap and to the side. “Now, come on. I think if we take any longer, we’ll be locked in here.” He quickly opened the doors in the back of the van and glanced around; making sure that it was safe to get out.

Kris laughed as an image of Adam breaking down the door of the van came to him. “I don’t think they’d do that.”

“Brad would,” Adam told him. He held out a hand and watched with narrowed eyes as Kris slid out of the van, taking in the way that Kris winced. “We need to get you to the room.”

“What room are we in?”

Adam pulled out a keycard. “Your friend Tommy thinks of everything. He got us a room on the first floor so you don’t have to deal with stairs.”

Kris let out a sigh of relief. “Thank God,” he muttered. He didn’t say anything else as he and Adam followed the numbered signs until they reached their room. Their bags were already there, the second keycard on the nightstand. Kris didn’t bother looking any further before he dropped down on the bed, kicking off his shoes and lying down. He groaned at the stretch of his muscles. “Better.”

“You going to sleep?” Adam asked him.

Shaking his head, Kris looked at him. “Not yet.” He thought back to the conversation they’d all had earlier. “I’m supposed to...” He frowned. “Tommy? Because there’s silver in your system?”

Adam nodded. “Yeah. Do you want me to go get him?”

Ignoring the question, Kris reached a hand out to him. “Are you okay?” he asked instead. “Is it still bothering you?”

“I heal fast.” Adam threaded his fingers through Kris’s. “I’m fine. We need to get you more blood though. We bought you a few hours with Cale and Allison’s blood but that time is already running out.”

“The new blood works faster than you’d think,” Kris told him. “But yeah, I’m going to need you and Tommy.” He sighed. “If it had just been the cuts or if it had been bullets, I wouldn’t be so bad. It’s the liquid silver that makes it bad. Stays in the system longer.”

“Kris, are we going to have to do this more than once?”

“No,” Kris shook his head, “I don’t think so. I should be fine after the new blood and some more rest.”

“I can ask if Brad and Cassidy—“

“No,” Kris cut Adam off. “Adam, they don’t know me. I won’t ask them for that.”

“They know me and they know that I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important.”

Kris shook his head again. “Adam, no. I know what a big deal blood is. I’m not asking them and neither are you. We need to know each other before that happens, if it ever happens.”

Adam sat down on the bed and blew out a breath. “Okay.” He swung his legs up and leaned back against the wall. “I just...I’m worried. I can feel how tired you are. And I know you’re fighting it but...” He trailed off and shook his head. “Are you sure you don’t want me to get Tommy?”

“You won’t have to.” Kris slid an arm under Adam’s leg, wrapping it around his thigh. “Tommy will show up on his own and we probably won’t even have to wait long. He won’t want to leave it for much longer, knowing him.”

“You know him well.”

Kris scratched his nails over Adam’s jeans. “We’ve been friends since we were kids.” Kris laughed. “He’s never been afraid to tell someone off and that’s how we met actually. Some kid stole my toy and Tommy saw me trying to get it back and went off on the kid, calling him a meanie. Kicked him in the shin and took the toy back.” He stopped when he saw Adam staring at him, his expression a cross between laughter and amazement. “What?”

“You don’t even know what you just said, do you?” Adam asked.

“I talked about Tommy. Why is that a big deal?”

“You trust me.”

Kris frowned. “Well, yeah, I trust you. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Kris, you just talked about knowing Tommy as a kid. It’s entirely possible that you were both bitten later in life but two people who have known each other since they were kids both being bitten? Unlikely unless one of you bit the other.” He ran a hand through Kris’s hair. “Thank you.”

Kris stared up at him, realizing what he’d just revealed. “I didn’t even think about it,” he said. “I just started talking.” He looked up at Adam and wondered when he had gone from just knowing that he could trust Adam to actually fully trusting him.

“I won’t say anything,” Adam promised.

“I know.” It was strange to realize that he meant it and he laughed. “I know,” he repeated.

At that, Adam smiled brightly. Before he could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Adam tensed and looked down at Kris. “Want me to tell them to go away?”

“It’s Tommy,” Kris said.

Immediately, Adam stood and went to the door, pulling it open once he’d made sure it was really Tommy on the other side.

“Hey,” Tommy glanced inside to where Kris was, “I figured it’s about time for some more blood.”

“Yeah, we were just talking about that actually.” Adam stepped back and let Tommy pass.

“Ready?” Tommy asked.

“I hate this,” was all Kris said as he pushed himself up.

“I know. But it needs to be done. The silver’s almost out of Adam’s system so you’ll be able to drink from him again soon. Probably another few hours.” He glanced between the two. “The others will be here soon so we can talk about where we can go.”

“I’ve got an idea about that,” Kris offered. “I’ll wait until the others get here though. Then we can just all talk about it at once.”

Tommy nodded as he settled on the bed near Kris, quickly slicing open his wrist and offering it up to Kris. “They’re headed our way,” he told them as Kris began to drink. It was always something that they’d found strange since it was supposed to be vampires that drank blood but this was also the quickest way to replace blood without a blood transfusion. “It shouldn’t take much,” he added, looking down at Kris. Kris tapped his arm in acknowledgement just as there was a knock on the door.

Adam moved to immediately check who was there, pulling it open after a moment. He tilted his head in the direction of the bed and stepped back, letting in the others.

“Huh, there’s a sight,” Brad said.

“Be quiet,” Adam ordered. “We need to focus and figure out what we’re going to do next.” He nodded at Kris and Tommy. “Kris has an idea.”

“If he can talk and drink at the same time, I’m going to be completely jealous and demand to know how.”

Kris pulled back from Tommy’s wrist and licked his lips, making sure they were clean. “I don’t,” he said. “But I’ll be sure to let you know if I learn.”

Brad grinned. “I like you,” he declared.

“I’m thrilled.” Kris smiled to take the sting out of his remark. He leaned back and then glanced at Tommy. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. You can go for the other wrist after you say what you need to,” Tommy glanced towards the rest of the group, “Are you planning on just standing there all night?”

“I like him,” Cassidy said. He nodded at Kris as he sat in one of the chairs. “I’m Cassidy Haley.” He grunted when Brad dropped on his lap. “Brad’s mate.”

“Kris Allen.” He smiled when Adam slid a hand over his shoulder to hold the back of his neck. “Adam’s mate.”

Adam lowered himself so that he was sitting behind Kris. “What’s your idea, Kris?”

Leaning back, Kris pressed himself against Adam’s chest and waited until Cale and Allison had sat down as well. “We go west,” he told them softly. “California.” He looked around the room. “The werewolves and vampires over there aren’t at war. They’ve come to a truce.” Kris nodded when Allison’s face lit up, already knowing where he was going with the suggestion.

“How do you know this?” Cassidy asked.

“The Alpha from over there was here on business not long ago. He spent time with various members of the pack, talking to them, getting a feel for how things over here are run. He’s tough, kind of an ass, but he’s fair and open-minded.”

“I was one of the ones he talked to,” Allison told them. “I...I had questions about whether it was true about the relationship between werewolves and vampires. I had to be careful because Randy...well, Randy thought the way he ran things was bad.”

“Understatement.” Cale shook his head. “I was the one that had to distract Randy while you asked your questions.”

“What’s his name?” Adam asked.

“Simon Cowell.” Kris turned his head slightly. “He works closely with the vampires, especially the leader over there. I don’t know who that is though.”

“Paula,” Allison swung her leg over the arm of the chair she was in, “Paula Abdul. He mentioned her first name, I looked her up.”

“Simon actually seemed to like us, I think.” Tommy shifted so that he was leaning against the wall. “There’s a damn good chance that he’d adopt us as part of his pack.”

“And if the vampires and werewolves over there are on good terms...” Brad trailed off, looking pointedly at Kris and Adam.

Kris glanced back at Adam. “What do you think?” he asked.

“We wouldn’t have to run if we were over there. If they are on such good terms, then I don’t think Paula would have any trouble taking us in with the vampires either.” Adam rubbed a hand up and down Kris’s thigh. “We’d all be protected too.”

“I’m in,” Cale said, grinning at Kris.

“I’m so surprised,” Allison muttered, though she looked like she was fighting a smile of her own. “I’ve always thought I’d do way better on the west coast anyway.”

Cassidy exchanged a look with Brad, who nodded. “We’re in too.”

“Like it’s even a question with me,” Tommy said. “Of course I’m in.”

“Then it’s settled?” Adam looked around to confirm everyone’s decision one more time.

“California, here we come,” Brad sang.

“If you continue to sing the theme song to The O.C, I will kill you and have one less vampire on this trip,” Adam interrupted. Brad made a face at him.

“You spoil all my fun.”

“But he saves our sanity. I like him.” Cale pushed himself away from the dresser that he’d been leaning against. “Now, much as I’d like to stick around, I’m tired and, unlike some people, I can’t fall asleep anywhere.” He waved and left the room.

“God that sounds like a good plan.” Allison stood and stretched, bounding over to Kris and hugging him quickly. “I’ll see you later, big brother.” She shot Adam a smile over Kris’ shoulder. “You too.”

“Get some sleep, Alli.” Kris pulled back and kissed her cheek, smiling when Adam’s hand tightened on him.

“As much as I’d like to stay and annoy Adam, I want sex more.” Brad smirked when Adam rolled his eyes. “Besides, the sun will be up soon and that means all good vampires should be in bed.”

Cassidy shook his head. “We’ll see you guys tomorrow night,” was all he said as he shifted Brad to the side and stood, pulling Brad to the door. As the door closed behind them, they heard Cassidy say something about scarves and Kris couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped.

“You’ve got interesting friends,” he managed to say, looking back towards Adam. Adam lifted one shoulder in a half shrug and pulled Kris back against him.

“They grow on you.”

“Like a fungus, I bet.” Tommy raised an eyebrow when Adam looked at him and then turned to Kris. “Come on. Let’s finish and then I can leave you two alone to possibly do things I don’t ever need to know about Kris doing.” He didn’t wait for them to finish, instead slicing open his other wrist and moving to Kris’s other side so that it’d be easier for the both of them.

Kris shook his head at Tommy and then took his wrist and began to drink again. He could feel the way the new blood was rushing through his system, fighting off the silver. He’d probably be fine once he’d gotten some more sleep but he had a feeling that Adam was going to insist on giving Kris some of his blood.

It was what Kris would do if the situation were reversed after all.

As soon as Kris had pulled back, Tommy pulled his sleeve down, pressing it against the cut to be sure that there was no excess blood.

“Get some sleep, Kris. Adam, watch out for him.”

“Of course.” The way Adam said it made it obvious that he thought that was a stupid request. Rather than answer, Tommy simply nodded and walked out, making sure to shut the door behind him.

Kris shut his eyes and turned so that he was settled more comfortably in Adam’s lap, wrapping an arm around his waist. “We’re going to be okay now.” He couldn’t help the slight question in his voice.

Adam nodded and tightened his grip, sliding down so that they were both lying down. “Yeah. We’re going to be okay,” he said, voice low. “Get some sleep now.”

Kris pressed a kiss to Adam’s chest and settled against him more comfortably, closing his eyes. Tonight was for resting and healing.

Tomorrow was for starting over.


End file.
